[FACT-CHECK] Viral FB posts of Carlos Yulo’s mother proven to be fake

By: Margaret Joenne Macaraeg

CLAIM: Widespread Facebook pages have reposted alleged screenshots from Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo’s mother, Angelica Poquiz Yulo condemning her ‘ungrateful’ and ‘selfish’ eldest son to disownment.

RATING: FALSE

The recent surge in social media controversies surrounding the two-time Paris Olympics gold medalist Carlos Yulo has put his family under the spotlight. His mother, Angelica Yulo, continues to be the subject of gossip and speculation due to her participation in interviews, which are then misrepresented by fake accounts.

Mrs. Yulo’s trending public post on her official Facebook account, Angelica Poquiz Yulo, from August 1, gained attention and opposing reactions from the netizens. With her shared caption on Rappler’s publication, “Japan pa din talaga… lakas.” (It’s still really Japan’s… power.)

On the same day of reposting, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Individual All-Around rankings were finalized, with the Filipino gymnast securing the 12^th spot. Carlos Yulo’s mother complimented the Japanese gymnast but did not acknowledge her son’s success.

On August 4, the possible feud was fueled by Mrs. Angelica’s interview on Bombo Radyo Philippines, in which she addressed money matters and referred to her son’s girlfriend, Chloe Anjeleigh San Jose, as the one who created distance between the family.

The highly publicized misunderstanding between the mother and her Olympic champion son has become a trending topic across social media platforms. 

Edited screenshots and fake account handles have been circulating, portraying Angelica Poquiz Yulo as indifferent to her son and accusing him of being ‘stingy’ and ‘ungrateful’ towards his mother.

Alleged Facebook posts from Mrs. Yulo reads: “Walang anak na nagdadamot sa magulang, tandaan mo yan!” (No child is withholding toward their parents, remember that!)

In contrast to her statement in another interview with the reporters on August 4, to her defense: “’Di ko rin kasi makita ‘yung sa luho na sinasabi ng mga tao… wala akong luho.” (I also don’t see the luxury that people are talking about… I don’t have any luxuries.)

The circulating posts claim that she expressed a lack of faith in the Filipino two-time Gold medalist: “Hindi niya deserve ng suporta ko, at matawag na anak. Olympics Champion ka nga, pero di kami proud.” (He doesn’t deserve my support or to be called my child. You may be an Olympic champion, but we are not proud.)

However, in the same interview, Carlos’ mother reveals that despite her resentment, she’s happy for her son earning the gold: “Siyempre ‘no pangarap niya ‘yan, so sabi ko nung nag-uusap kami kung manalo siya, good for him… nag-paid off lahat ng mga sacrifices niya.” (Of course, it’s his dream, so I told him when we talked that if he wins, good for him… all his sacrifices have paid off.)

The issued images contain a caption crediting Angelica Poquiz Yulo for her words, yet their claimed original link to the post provided only redirects to online shopping platforms.

The layout of the screenshots resembles a Facebook post, showing reactions count, comments, and shares. However, the post is associated with an X (formerly Twitter) username or account handle that does not exist, showing no search results.

At a press conference on August 7, Atty. Raymond Fortun defended Carlos’ mother and clarified that his client was not responsible for the fake posts containing the word ‘madamot’: “’Yun ay kagagawan ng malisyosong mga tao… na ang tanging layunin lamang ay dungisan ang pangalan ni Mrs. Yulo at para maging clickbait ito.” (That was the doing of malicious people… whose sole intention was to tarnish Mrs. Yulo’s name and turn it into clickbait.)

Angelica Yulo’s lawyer didn’t deny the existence of her official Facebook account, which showed support for Japan, but he also reiterated that she doesn’t have an X (Twitter) account.

SOURCES:

https://www.facebook.com/100090170838684/posts/pfbid02SxDHQcnQHsz1h6AW7xmt4SHjzBEx5NnEL5XpaMoKQEgHNkhRzxEnbXpxjjnStCQol/?app=fbl / https://www.facebook.com/100047632226009/posts/pfbid02v9kc29vtbF7oquJJpf928RGBV93W2tqbKtyq1cE8m34Qftaho2VQJ3unzWHCiYjEl/?app=fbl / https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160017521877057&set=a.451232187056 https://www.facebook.com/angelica.yulo https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=520877423947575

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This article is De La Salle University – Dasmariñas’ (DLSU-D) contribution to the Asian Network of News and Information Educators (ANNIE) School Net’s campus fact-checking project of establishing and operating a student-driven fact-checking newsroom on campus. The ANNIE project is supported by a grant from Google News Initiative. Green FM is DLSU-D’s official media for the ANNIE project.